


Two-Faced

by HiddenDreamer67



Category: Video Blogging RPF, jacksepticeye
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Borrowers - Freeform, Experimentation, G/T, GT, Giant/Tiny, Humans, I thought this was just a borrower story, Science, Shrinking, Spaceships and Septic Eyes, black holes, borrower!Mark, borrower!Sean, multiple dimmensions, tiny!Jack, tiny!mark, tiny!sean, wait what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 21:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11112975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenDreamer67/pseuds/HiddenDreamer67
Summary: Sean is a borrower living in Mark's house. Jack is a subject of Dr. Iplier's experiments. What happens when the two worlds collide?Written for Gtjsefanclubanniversary week over on tumblr.





	1. Sleeping

Sean grunted, hoisting himself up onto the counter using his grappling hook. He carefully glanced around to make sure he was alone. The human was supposed to be asleep, but it never hurt to be too careful.

Sean gave an annoyed sigh, gathering up the bits of salvageable food left on the abandoned dishes. Life wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that humans like Mark could get an excess of food while Sean was never sure of his next meal. It wasn’t fair that Sean had to bend his every action around Mark’s schedule, while Mark could do as he pleased when he pleased.

Once he had double-checked the dishes, Sean pulled out his borrowing list for the evening. He still needed to get soap from the bathroom. He grappled down, and with a flick of his wrist the grappling hook returned to his hand. Sean smiled, wrapping up his tools and checking his pack one last time before starting the long trek down the hallway.

Sean only rolled his eyes as he passed the bedroom door, hearing the obnoxiously loud snores from within. Yet again Sean was reminded of his bitter feelings toward Mark. The human had no fear of being too loud, and would often wake up Sean with random screaming or singing of disney lyrics or poorly playing his stupid trumpet.  
Most borrowers tended to view humans with fear, but Sean tend to take a more angry approach. How dare they trample about with their big boots, thinking bigger means better! Why, if Sean were as big as them he’d suggest a few creative places Mark could shove his trumpet. Although given that Sean only stood a few inches tall, he was smart enough to stay hidden and quiet.

Sean threw his hook to latch onto the sink, climbing up and reaching the soap bar. Turning it over, Sean cut out a chunk and put it in the bag before flipping the bar back over. There was nothing to indicate Sean had been here at all. Satisfied, Sean returned to the floor and peered back out into the hallway. Seeing nothing, Sean walked back past the bedroom towards the kitchen only to stop dead in his tracks.

The snoring had stopped.

“Oh shite.” Sean whispered, slipping by the door as fast as possible while staying quiet. Occasionally Mark would awake in the middle of the night looking for a snack, and of course tonight when it was inconvenient for Sean, Mark’s sweet tooth would act up. Sean began to sprint down the rest of the hallway, hearing the thunderous footsteps already shuffling on the other side of the door. Sean was almost in the clear when light flooded in from the bedroom.

“What the-?!” A startled voice shrieked behind him as Sean refused to stop, diving under the cover of one of the cabinets. Sean grabbed at his pounding heart as the floor shook, indicating Mark was quickly getting closer. Hopefully Mark would just think it was a trick of the light.

No such luck.

Sean let out a frightened yelp when a giant brown eye was suddenly staring right at him, blocking his view of the kitchen and the entrance to his home, all the way across the room.

“Woah.” Mark sounded amazed, and Sean started to get irritated. Great, now he was going to have to move houses and this giant idiot was acting like this was the best thing ever. How degrading.

“You’re dreaming, Mark.” Sean said, hoping Mark was still asleep enough for that to work.

“You might be right, strange little man.” Mark giggled. “But this is so cool.” He reached a giant hand under the cabinet, which Sean easily dogged by pressing up against the wall.

“Hey, quit it!” Sean barked, feeling brave now that he knew Mark couldn’t do anything.

“Sorry.” Mark replied, retracting his hand. “Do you want to come out? I won’t hurt you.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I trust the likes of you.” Sean frowned at him, crossing his arms. This caused Mark to frown as well.

“Hey, there’s no need for that.” Mark said. “I’m just trying to be nice.”

“And I’m just trying to get you screw off.” Sean replied.

“Will you at least tell me your name?” Mark asked, looking sad. Sean shook his head. “Please? C’mon, what can I do to prove I’m nice? I could get you some food, if you’re hungry.”

Sean’s ears perked up at this offer. If he could get Mark to leave for even a moment, maybe he could sprint across the kitchen to his door so he could get his stuff and get out of here ASAP.

“I suppose I could go for a snack.” Sean pretended to ponder it for a moment.

“Great!” Mark grinned. “I’ll be right back.” As soon as Sean saw his feet move far to the left, he knew it was now or never. Sean sprinted out into the open like his life depended on it.

“HEY!” Mark’s exclamation fell on deaf ears, Sean not even looking up as the floor began to rumble with the human’s footsteps. The door was straight ahead. Almost…there…

Sean let out a muffled ‘oof!’ when he crashed into something- no, someone who wasn’t there a moment ago. A tiny like him, blocking the doorway and hidden under the safety of the cabinets.

“What the heck?” Sean said, rubbing at his head and looking at this newcomer. As far as Sean knew, he was the only borrower left in the whole house. The rest of his family had left when they declared he was too reckless, lacking the natural fear for humans most borrowers possessed.

This other tiny looked just as surprised as Sean, but stranger still was not wearing any borrower equipment. The green-haired stranger seemed to be dressed almost like… a human. Where had he come from? Before Sean could fully grasp what he was seeing he felt himself surrounded on all sides by warm walls of flesh.

“Gotcha!” Mark said, sounding happy. Sean wished Mark really would go to hell.


	2. Growing/Shrinking

“I assure you, Mr. Mcloughlin, your assistance is greatly appreciated here at Septic Science Incorporated.” The scientist known as Dr. Iplier spoke, leading Jack into the back rooms of the facility.

“So, what exactly am I doing here, doc?” Jack asked, looking at a giant green eyeball floating in a septic tank. It seemed to stare right at him. Jack shuddered, walking a bit faster.

“We’re currently in the middle of some experiments involving the growth and reduction of cells, and your DNA showed exceptional promise.” Dr. Iplier explained. He pointed to a device on the table. “This is meant to alter the shape and size of carbon-based life forms.”

“Yeah, but what’s that mean?” Jack pressed. He knew his friend Felix, another scientist, had begged him to come in. Jack just still didn’t understand why. The doctor didn’t answer; instead, he began measuring Jack’s every body part to the point where Jack wasn’t sure if this man was a tailor in disguise.

“Now, just a few questions before we get to the main event.” Dr. Iplier looked down at his clipboard. “Have you consumed any radioactive material in the last five years?”

“Uh, no?” Jack thought that would be obvious.

“Is there a history of death by hypothermia in your family?”

“I don’t think so.” Jack tried to think back. “These questions are kinda weird.”

“Have you ever experienced a sexual attraction to rabbits?” The doctor didn’t even hesitate.

“WHAT?!” Jack screeched. “What does that possibly have to do with-!”

“That one was just a little joke, Mr. Mcloughlin.” Dr. Iplier smirked over the brim of his glasses.

“…oh.” Jack turned a slight shade of pink before letting out a laugh. “Sorry, I guess i’m just a lil’ nervous.”

“That’s alright. Last one: did you ever or do you currently experience nausea on long flights?” Dr. Iplier continued.

“Well, sometimes.” Jack shrugged. “I kinda have this fear of heights.”

“Hmm.” The doctor frowned. “Fear of heights? Well that’s not ideal, but everything else checks out, so we’ll let it slide.” Jack raised an eyebrow. What kind of mad science was going on here? The doctor put the clipboard down on the table, picking up the device.

“You should feel a slight tingling, but that is perfectly normal.” Dr. Iplier began to fiddle with the device, which looked similar to a science fiction ray gun. “Please remain calm.”

“Er, okay.” Jack went cross-eyed trying to keep his eyes at the thing when it was pointed in his direction. Why did Jack suddenly feel like he was at the wrong end of a gun barrel?

The tip of the device glowed a bright green, blinding Jack for a moment. He opened his eyes, only to blink in shock as Dr. Iplier was gone. Instead, a giant pair of shoes stood in front of Jack.

“It worked!” A loud, booming voice yelled far above Jack’s head. Jack couldn’t believe his eyes as he looked up…and up…and up. Jack had shrunk!

“AAAAAAAAAAAH!” Jack yelled, panicking. “This shouldn’t be possible!”

“Please remain calm.” Dr. Iplier said, and suddenly Jack was grabbed in a tight fist. Jack groaned, feeling his stomach drop as he rose higher and higher. Oh jeezus, he really loathed heights. “We still have some tests to complete.” Jack was dropped on the table, forced to try and keep his balance on jelly legs. The doctor stood up to collect some supplies, leaving Jack to catch his breath.

“What are you doing with that thing?!” Jack began to flip out when he returned with a needle half as big as Jack.

“How many times must I tell you to remain calm?” Dr. Iplier sounded annoyed. “This is merely a euthanization needle, used only with uncooperative patients.”

Jack gulped nervously. “Is…is that a threat?” The doctor raised an eyebrow.

“It’s only a threat if you plan to misbehave.” Dr. Iplier spoke smoothly. “Currently your DNA is infused with my micro elemental serum, which took over 30 years of research and is worth over 12 million dollars. I will do what’s necessary to protect my work, even if it means finding a new test subject.” The doctor gave what must have been an attempt at a smile. “Now then, let’s begin the testing.”

The doctor began with re-taking Jack’s various measurements, writing down the changes on his clipboard.

“Extraordinary.” Dr. Iplier murmured. “All of your limbs seem to have kept their original proportions.”

“Wait, what?” Jack looked down at his tiny hands. “Are you saying there was a chance one of my arms would have turned out bigger than the other?”

“This was all listed in the fine print of the waiver you signed, but yes there was a chance of failure.” The scientist answered. “You’re the first test subject whose vital organs proportionately shrunk, allowing them to continue to function in a regular manner.”

“Could you maybe not speak in scientific jargon?” Jack groaned. The doctor frowned, visibly getting annoyed. Jack bit back a sassy remark, remembering the needle.

“There were some fatalities in the past.” Dr. Iplier explained.

“People died?” Jack shuddered.

“Their DNA refused to bond properly with my serum.” The doctor spoke monotonously, clearly not caring for the people who gave their lives for his crazy schemes. “They signed the waiver just like you, indicating they knew the risks.”

“Why the hell do you want to shrink people, anyways?” Jack asked.

“That information would produce bias in my experiments.” Dr. Iplier answered, indicating the conversation was over. He stood up. “I need to retrieve my tools from the other room. Touch anything while I’m gone, and I will not hesitate to get the information I need from an autopsy on your body.” Then the doctor left.

Jack shuddered. “Well, ain’t that guy just a bucket o’ sunshine.” Jack took his moment of freedom to look around the room. He really didn’t want to be here anymore, but the floor was too far away for escape. Jack looked around the table, trying to see if anything could help him get down and hide. The table was fairly empty, except on the other end there were two black and green bracelets equipped with blue buttons. Curious, Jack went and touched the one closest to him just as he heard the door open.

“NO, DON’T TOUCH-!” Dr. Iplier’s voice was cut off as a loud ringing suddenly sounded in Jack’s ears, followed by a tugging feeling at his stomach. A second later, someone crashed right into him.

“Oof!” The person said, falling to their butt. Jack looked at the person in shock. He looked just like him! Except, his doppleganger seemed to be wearing scrappy looking clothes and wearing a backpack like some strange homeless teen gang member.

“What the heck?” The doppelganger spoke, rubbing at his green hair and looking just as surprised as Jack. Jack could only watch in horror as a giant hand came down, grabbing the doppelganger right off the ground like a little doll.

“Gotcha!” A slightly different voice spoke, dragging the other man out of sight. So, wherever he was, Jack was still small. Feeling a pressure on his wrist, Jack looked down in surprise to see the strange black and green bracelet had shrunk down and attached itself to his arm.

“What…just happened?” Jack asked, staring down at the glowing blue button.


	3. Eyes

 

“You’re so tiny.” Mark said in awe, looking at the tiny green-haired guy tossing and squirming in his fist. “It’s adorable.”

“Adorable?!” Sean screeched, trying his hardest to escape, even if it meant taking a several foot tumble to the ground. “I’m a frickin’ grown man, for gods sakes.”

Mark only laughed. He brought his other hand up and began to pat at Sean’s hair, tussling it a bit.

“Oi!” Sean yelled, pulling his head as far back from the intruding digit as possible. “Take yer finger out of my face or I’ll bite it off.” Mark retracted his hand quickly.

“Sorry.” Mark apologized. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Oh like I give a freaking care for the word of a human bean.” Sean spit in Mark’s eye as best he could.

“Eeeew.” Mark cringed, wiping at his eye. “Did you just spit on me?”

“Yep, and I’ll do it again.” Sean said, already gathering more saliva in his mouth.

“Okay, what is your problem?” Mark said, standing up and causing Sean’s stomach to drop. “I’m trying to be nice here. You don’t need to be rude.”

“Oh, I beg your pardon.” Sean put on a fake polite voice. “It was rude of me to spit in your left eye and not the other.”

“Stop it!” Mark said, holding Sean further away from his person so his spit couldn’t reach. “You know, I shouldn’t have to put up with this.” Mark looked around his kitchen before getting an idea. He opened up a mason jar and put Sean in it, watching as he stumbled down at the bottom.

“There.” Mark smirked. “You’re staying there until you’re prepared to actually act like a frickin’ grown man.” Sean growled. How dare he use Sean’s own words against him.

Meanwhile, Jack was still down on the ground, listening to the two argue. He began to sneak along under the cover of the cabinets, trying to get a better view.

Suddenly, a bright light drew everyone’s attention towards the entrance to the kitchen. A man looking remarkably like Mark appeared out of thin air, coughing. Jack gasped, slinking further back into the shadows to try and stay hidden.

“I need to remember to calibrate that.” Dr. Iplier muttered, frowning down at a black and green bracelet on his wrist before looking up at Mark. “Hello good sir. This may sound a bit odd, but have you perhaps seen a five inch tall man with green hair running about the premises?” Mark’s eyes automatically flitted to Sean, who was viewing both humans with a growing sense of confusion.

“Ah, there you are Jack!” Dr. Iplier said, peering down at the jar menacingly. Jack’s eyes widened. Uh oh.

“Who the hell is Jack?” Sean said, raising an eyebrow.

“I am not in a gaming mood, Mr. Mcloughlin.” Dr. Iplier sounded even more annoyed than before. He picked up the jar, eliciting a ‘hey!’ from Mark. “But, if you would kindly accompany me back to the facility, we can pick up the testing without further…interruptions. I told you not to touch the equipment, and I suppose there will have to be repercussions for your actions. ”

“I have no idea what the frick yer talkin’ about!” Sean was getting a little nervous, not liking the sound of tests. Humans were known to treat some borrowers like little lab rats.

“Dude, put him down.” Mark’s voice had a warning tone. “He will spit in your eye, I swear.”

“Jack Mcloughlin, you’re not fooling me.” Dr. Iplier ignored him. “Memory loss is not a common side effect of dimensional travel.”

“Dimensional travel?” Sean’s mind was racing to understand. “Wait! You must be thinking of the other borrower still under the cabinets!” Sean didn’t want to sell out another borrower, but he would if it would save his own skin from testing.

“Another…borrower?” Mark gave a curious look in the direction of the floor. Jack pushed himself further against the wall, praying he wouldn’t be spotted.

“I’m not Jack!” Sean began to plead desperately as the doctor messed with his dimensional travel device, aka the bracelet. “I’m not part o’ any testing! My name’s Sean! I’ve never seen or been seen my whole life. And I haven’t done any dimensional travel, either.”

“Listen to him, he’s clearly not who you’re looking for.” Mark sided with Sean, not wanting the little guy to get hurt. This Dr. Iplier guy was really giving him the creeps.

“Please keep your nose out of my business, Mark.” Was all Dr. Iplier replied, before there was another bright flash of light. Mark blinked away the spots, and he was gone. Wait, how did Dr. Iplier know his name?

Mark thought that Sean looked too confused to be lying. And if he had been telling the whole truth…Mark gave another look towards the cabinets.

Jack stood rubbing his hands through his hair nervously. What was he going to do? Dr. Iplier totally thought that other guy was him, which meant that Jack was safe but his doppelganger would be punished for something he didn’t do. Oh no, what if Dr. Iplier even went so far as to use the needle? Guilt began to eat away at Jack’s insides.

Not to mention, Jack was now trapped in what seemed to be a different universe while he was still five inches tall. Things weren’t looking good.

Things began to look even worse when a giant brown eye appeared right in front of Jack.

“AAAH!” Jack screamed, scrambling backwards. The eye seemed to put some distance between them as well, allowing Jack to see more of the giant’s face.

“Uh, please don’t spit in my eye.” Mark said in greeting.


	4. Technology

“Let me out, you ignorant bean!” Sean pounded on the glass walls with no visible effect. “I ain’t Jack!”

“Yes, I know, you pea-brain.” Dr. Iplier growled, shaking the jar a bit to throw Sean to the ground. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve needed a tiny test subject with uncorrupted DNA to test my new growth serum. Jack’s DNA already contained my shrinking serum so it wouldn’t work, but you…” He gave a little chuckle. “You’re perfect. I didn’t even have to go hunting for you myself, either. Borrowers can be such a hassle. I really should thank Mark for his help.”

“Both of you can go t’hell.” Sean wanted to spit in this guy’s eye too.

“We’ll meet you there.” Dr. Iplier replied, putting the Jar up on a high shelf. “Now wait here while I go get the growth serum. And don’t even think of trying to escape-” He tapped at his bracelet. “-because I’m the one fused with the dimension hopper. So long as I live, it will only respond to me. There is no way you’re ever getting home without my help.” Then he left. Sean gave a few more futile attempts at breaking the glass.

“Oh, what’s the use?” Sean groaned, sinking to the floor. A flame of anger was rising in the tiny borrower’s chest. He wasn’t sure who he hated the most- Jack, for bumping into him; Mark, for capturing him: or this doctor guy, who was treating his kind like lab rats. Well, he didn’t really blame Jack. The guy did have his dashing good looks.

————————————-

“So, I’m guessing you’re Jack?” Mark said, giving the little guy a cautious smile.

“Er, yeah.” Jack nodded, still unnerved at the sight of a giant stranger staring right at him. “And yer Mark?”

“The one and only.” Mark chuckled. “But, why was that lab coat guy chasing you?”

“It’s a long story.” Jack scratched at the back of his neck nervously.

“Do you wanna maybe come out and tell it then?” Mark offered. “It’s kind of painful kneeling on the ground like this.”

“Well, are you gonna stick me in a jar too?” Jack gave him a suspicious look. Mark had the decency to look sheepish.

“Uh, no.” Mark murmured. “That was kinda too far.”

“Yeah, it was.” Jack lectured him. “That guy was probably frickin’ terrified. Hell, I’m terrified and I’m out of reach!”

“I wasn’t thinking!” Mark argued.

“Do you do that a lot- not think?” Jack sassed. “Because that’ll be a problem.”

“Are you and the other little guy related?” Mark asked. “Because you both have a tendency to hate me.” Jack only shrugged, having no clue why he and Sean seemed identical. Jack knew that without Mark’s help, Jack had almost no chance of getting home or getting back to normal. With this thought in mind, he cautiously began to walk out into the open. Mark was kind enough to scoot back and give Jack space.

“Could I maybe pick you up?” Mark asked. “This might be easier if we talk face to face.”

“Uh…” Jack sent an uneasy glance towards Mark’s massive fingers.

“It’s okay, I’ll be careful.” Mark said, drawing an X over his heart. “And I promise, no jars.”

“Alright.” Jack agreed. “But fer the love o’ god, not too high. I’ve got a thing against heights.”

“Okay.” Mark nodded, carefully scooping Jack up in his hands, holding him only a foot or two above the ground. Of course, this seemed much higher to Jack, who let out a groan. “So who was the guy looking for you?” Mark asked, trying to distract Jack.

“Oh, that’s Dr. Iplier.” Jack explained. “He works with my friend Felix. I was a test subject at their facility, but they failed to mention they were gonna shrink me. When I freaked out, Dr. Iplier began to threaten me with needles and stuff, so when he left I tried to escape. I ended up pressing this bracelet thing, and I just appeared here.” Jack held up his bracelet for a visual. Mark brought Jack closer to his face, trying to see the little device.

“Wait, that doctor was talking about dimensional travel.” Mark said, eyes widening. “He looked kind of like me, and you looked just like Sean. You and Dr. Iplier must be us from another dimension!”

“Look, I’m done with all this sci-fi stuff; at this point I just want to go back to my dimension.” Jack frowned down at the bracelet. “Well, that and get back to being a normal person who isn’t five inches tall.”

“I dunno, I like you at five inches.” Mark grinned, looking excited.

“Well then get Sean!” Jack rolled his eyes. “He’s five inches and is supposed to be here.” Jack secretly hoped that if Sean ever got back to this dimension he was able to hide from Mark, as Sean didn’t seem to like big people very much.

“Okay, okay.” Mark agreed. “So what did you do when it brought you here? Maybe doing it again will get you home.”

“Um, I think I just pressed this blue button…” Jack pressed it, and suddenly they were surrounded by a bright light. Blinking the spots away, Jack saw that he was still in Mark’s hands but the two were now back in the laboratory. Dr. Iplier was nowhere to be seen.

“Wait, why are you here too?” Jack frowned up at Mark.

“Sean went with Dr. Iplier.” Mark said in explanation. “Anything you’re in contact with must travel with you. Man, that is so interesting. You know, growing up I always wanted to be a scientist.”

“Please stop.” Jack rolled his eyes. “I don’t need two mad scientists in my life.”

“Alright.” Mark agreed, standing up. Jack clutched to his fingers out of fear of heights. “Now, what did the device that made you small look like? Maybe I could use it to get you back to normal.”

“Um…” Jack looked around. He pointed to the countertop. “There, that’s it!” Mark went over and set Jack down on the counter before fiddling with the device. It began to glow a slight green.

“Okay, I think I got it!” Mark said happily. “Stand still and remain calm.”

“Are you sure this will work?” Jack asked, feeling anything but calm.

“Absolutely.” Mark gave a pause. “Well, it’ll either suck out the serum and turn you back to normal or give you a third arm.”

“WHAT?!”

“It’s probably fine.” Mark assured him, blasting Jack before he had a chance to run. Jack was once again blinded by a bright green light, feeling no different. However, opening his eyes, Jack saw that he was the same size as Mark.

“It worked!” Jack jumped off the counter and gave Mark a hug. “Mark, thank you!”

“I told you.” Mark grinned. “C’mon, have a little faith in me.” They both froze, hearing footsteps in the hall just outside the door.

“Uh-oh.” Jack murmured. The two looked at each other. What if that was Dr. Iplier?

“We’ve gotta go.” Mark tugged at Jack’s hand with the bracelet. Jack pulled it back, looking uncertain.

“What about Sean?” Jack reminded him. “He doesn’t deserve to be Dr. Iplier’s lab rat any more than I did.”

“Jack, we don’t know where Sean is.” Mark replied. “We can come back for him later, but for now if we stay here we might both get shrunk. How will we help Sean then?” Jack bit his lip, thinking.

“Alright.” Jack still looked uneasy at his choice. He grabbed Mark’s arm and pressed the button, praying that Sean would forgive them.


	5. Alter-Ego

“No!” Sean yelled, pounding at the glass, watching helplessly as Jack and Mark discussed his fate. “Don’t leave me, I’m up here!” It was no use. They could not hear the tiny borrower’s voice through the glass jar up on the top shelf, and Sean stared on in horror as Jack pressed the button, taking Sean’s one chance of escape with him. Sean groaned as Dr. Iplier entered the room a second later.

“Glad to see me, I see.” Dr. Iplier joked in reference to Sean’s groan. He took the jar down from the shelf, plucking Sean up by the back of his shirt. Sean tried to struggle, twisting this way and that. The doctor simply ignored his attempts at escape, dropping him into what seemed to be a large metal box. There was nowhere to run.

“Now, please do your best to behave.” Dr. Iplier instructed. He held up an eyedropper full of green liquid, the same as from the septic tank with the giant eyeball. “Just a few drops of this should-” Dr. Iplier’s hand slipped as a warning siren began to go off, red lights flashing up above. The screeching was deafening, causing Sean to cover his ears as a large amount of the liquid poured on him.

“Containment Breach in sector 7.” A robotic voice over the intercom spoke as Sean began to feel all tingly. Dr. Iplier cursed.

“Wait here.” Dr. Iplier rushed back out of the room. What was in sector 7 that made the doctor so nervous? Sean really didn’t give a rat’s arse, so long as it provided him with a chance to escape. Sean looked around, noticing that the wall of the metal box was just within his reach. Jumping up, Sean grabbed the edge and pulled himself over, dropping carefully to the ground.

“Now what?” Sean asked, standing up and looking around. Without Jack or Dr. Iplier’s bracelets, Sean was going to stay a long way from home. He could wait around hoping for Jack to return, but Sean wasn’t exactly eager to ask a human for help- even if said human had been a borrower for about five minutes.

The flashing lights and emergency sirens weren’t helping Sean concentrate, either. He glared up at the ceiling before beginning to sneak along the wall next to many technical looking gadgets.

…hang on, wasn’t that metal box taller than him a second ago?

Sean looked back at the box where he was once contained, surprised that he had to look down at it. Now the box was waist-high. Looking around the room, everything seemed to look a little smaller.

“What the fock?” Sean breathed out, stumbling into a shelf of inventions and knocking them to the ground in his new clumsy state. “Ah, shite.” Sean began to try and gather up the gadgets, worried that someone heard the clattering, but hopefully the sirens drowned out the sounds of his bumbling. Tripping over his growing feet, Sean fell face forward into a hexagonal doorway-looking thing, nose pressing harshly into a red glowing button.

“Ow.” Sean rubbed at his nose, watching the walls of the thing surrounding him glow.

“Beginning Melding process in five…” A new voice sounded out, a glass panel trapping Sean in. His head began to press against the ceiling as he continued to grow in this cramped space.

“Wha…?” Sean tried to process what was happening.

“Four…three…” Sean began to pound on the glass, trying to break out. Spiderweb cracks began to develop, spreading out across the panel.

“Two…one.” A blinding light shot out from every angle, and Sean screamed as his skin began to burn. He tried to drop the gadgets in his hands in favor of covering his injuries, but the metal seemed fused to his skin. It began to dissolve, spreading out to meld with Sean’s very being. At least the growing seemed to have stalled.

Sean’s screams began to sound more computerized, more corrupted. He felt the wiring in his limbs and the computer chips in his brain. He felt different. He felt powerful.

He smashed through the glass, sparks spraying behind him. The emergency sirens had stopped, and now the place was lit with only the dim glow of the red lights. He stepped out into the open, now the full height of a human. He heard footsteps pounding in the hall.

Dr. Iplier dashed into the room, only to freeze at the sight of him.

“S-sean?” For once, the doctor sounded nervous. The old borrower grinned.

“I’m not Sean anymore.” He said, and it was true. The melding had changed his very DNA. “You can call me…Anti.” The doctor looked around the dimly lit room, processing everything.

“You used the melder?” Dr. Iplier pointed to the shattered remains of the machine. “What…exactly…did you meld with?”

“Dunno, just a few of your neato trinkets.” Anti felt a strange twitch in his muscles, like an electric shock. It was invigorating.

“Which ones?” Dr. Iplier sounded desperate. “Sean, you gotta understand, that technology is new. Any device you fused with will begin to operate under your control.”

“I said, I’m not SEAN!” Anti shouted, suddenly suppressed with a painful tugging feeling in his right arm. A moment later, his hand was holding a knife that seemed to be an extension of his being.

“That would be the transfuser.” Dr. Iplier groaned, looking at the knife in Anti’s hand. “Please, Anti, let me try and separate your DNA.”

“What, and give up powers like this?” Anti laughed, pointing at a wrench on the table. A bright light emitted from his fingers, and the wrench shrunk. “Become your perfect little lab rat again?” Anti admired the tiny wrench for a moment, then spit on it and watched as it melted into a black goop. Anti clapped his hands in childlike glee.

“I’ll return you to your home world.” Dr. Iplier offered. “I’ll take out the growth serum too, and you can live out your borrower life free of my influence-”

“You don’t get it!” Anti roared, taking a step towards the doctor. “I don’t want to go back! Being a borrower was a terrible fate. I was a piece of scum struggling to survive off another man’s trash. But now-” Anti let out a crazed-sounding laugh. “-now, I’m more powerful than any of you. You can’t stop me.”

“Anti, listen.” Dr. Iplier took nervous steps back as Anti advanced. “You can’t go on as a melded mess of artificial intelligence and an altered carbon-based lifeform. Soon the coding will corrupt your mind, leaving you nothing more than a shell of your human self.”

“I’m done hearing your scientific jargon.” Anti cut him off, taking the blade in his hand and chopping off Dr. Iplier’s hand. The man screamed, but his screams only made Anti’s circuits surge in pleasure. With reckless abandon he tore into the man, watching the blood pool across the floor as the life slowly faded from the doctor’s eyes.

Picking up the severed hand, Anti slid the dimension bracelet into his open palm. He crushed the device in his hand, feeling the energy merge with his own being. Opening his hand nothing was left, but Anti could feel the bracelet within him. Anti grinned maliciously, looking down at the dead body in front of him.

“You’re next, Mark.” Anti said, focusing his thoughts on traveling between dimensions. There was a flash of bright light, and Anti was gone


	6. Caught

“Oh, I feel bad for Sean.” Jack said the moment he and Mark returned to Mark’s world. He looked down at his bracelet. “Maybe we should go back, just quickly grab him and-”  
“Jack, no.” Mark insisted. “We don’t know where he went, and Dr. Iplier isn’t going to wait around for us to find Sean. He’ll end up taking us as experiments too.”

“Well, he didn’t seem to have any interest in you.” Jack argued. “Maybe I can drop you off there and you save Sean?”

“Okay, first, I don’t think he’ll be very merciful if he finds me snooping around his lab.” Mark reasoned with Jack. “Second, Sean’s not exactly my biggest fan, so I don’t know if he’ll trust me enough to go with me. And most importantly, if you just ‘drop me off’, I’ll have no way out either!”

“I know.” Jack sighed. It was a stupid idea.

“Jack, it’s going to be okay.” Mark rubbed Jack’s back in a comforting manner. “You’ve had a weird day. Why don’t you get some sleep? You can take my bed.”

“What about you?” Jack didn’t want to impose, but he was feeling a bit tired. Growing and shrinking seemed to do a number on his body.

“My brain is far too active to sleep right now.” Mark shrugged. “It’s down the hall, the first door on your right.”

“Well, thanks then.” Jack gave him a little wave before covering a yawn.

“Sweet Dreams.” Mark chuckled, watching his new friend disappear behind the bedroom door. Mark looked at the countertop and sighed, suddenly reminded of the sight of a scared Sean being taken in a jar by that doctor. Mark felt guilty that he had played a part in Sean’s capture. He didn’t mean to put the little guy in danger, Mark just didn’t want him to spit in his eye or run away.

“What’ve I done?” Mark groaned, running his hands over his face and then back through his hair. He failed to hold back a yawn of his own, having lied to Jack about being tired. Mark just felt unworthy of sleeping on the good bed after what he’d done to Sean. Drudging along in his sorrow, Mark made his way over to the old creaky couch in the living room and fell into an uneasy sleep.

*thud*

Mark groaned, ignoring the sounds coming from the kitchen, preferring to stay half-asleep. He was in no mood to take on a burglar.

*thud*

Mark accidentally rolled off the couch and onto the ground, landing painfully on his head. “Ow.” Mark whispered through gritted teeth, now fully awake.

*thud*

Mark sighed, deciding that since he was awake he should probably figure out who was stumbling around his kitchen at two in the morning.

———————

Anti mumbled another round of curse words, hitting his hip for the third time on the counters. Being big wasn’t all it was cracked up to be- why did Mark have such a crowded kitchen?

Rubbing at his sore side, Anti began to walk down the hall towards Mark’s bedroom door. He put his hand on the knob, listening to the creak of it opening. Grinning, Anti pushed the door open a smidge.

“Hey!” Anti froze at the sound of Mark’s voice behind him. “Back away from the door, and no one gets hurt.” Anti slowly turned around to see Mark standing in the living room doorway, clutching a bat. Anti took a special pleasure in watching the fear seep into Mark’s face at the mere sight of Anti.

“Hello, Markimoo.” Anti gave a little laugh.

“How- how do you know my name?” Mark asked, hands holding the bat lowering subconsciously.

“Let’s just say, I’ve been watching you a very long time.” Anti took a step closer to Mark. “Keeping a little eye on you. You’ve been a very big part of my existence.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to get out of my house.” Mark warned, adjusting his grip on the bat.

“Don’t you see, Mark?” Anti sighed. “This house is mine, too. I know its walls and secrets better than a human bean ever will.”

“Human bean…?” Mark’s eyes widened in realization, the bat dropping to the floor in surprise. “Sean?”

“It’s Anti now, actually.” Anti picked at a bit of dirt under his sharp fingernails.

“What happened to you?” Mark looked at him pitifully. Anti let out a low growl. He didn’t need Mark’s pity.

“I got stronger.” Anti said. “More powerful. It’s going to be a little harder to stick me in a jar this time, old man.”

“Old man?” Mark cringed at the nickname. “Look, I’m sorry for what I did. I wasn’t thinking. I never meant for you to get hurt.”

“HA!” Anti yelled, letting out an inhumane cackle. A little spit fell on the baseball bat, and Mark yelped as it began to turn to black goo near his feet. He looked at Anti with renewed horror. “Do you really expect me to believe a word you say? Your silver tongue may have charmed Jack, but it won’t work on me. I’ve seen the real you every day of my life. You’re a monster.”

“I’m just human.” Mark begged for forgiveness.

“Same thing.” Anti snarled. He pointed his right hand at Mark, and suddenly Mark felt very dizzy. He closed his eyes and clutched at his head, falling to his knees. Above him, the sound of Anti’s laughing seemed to be getting louder and louder.

“Wow, you do look pathetic.” Anti’s voice seemed to resonate in Mark’s core, like when you watch a movie on high volume with surround sound speakers. Mark opened his eyes, only to let out a shriek when he found himself to be five inches tall. Craning his neck back, Mark gulped at the sight of Anti’s malicious grin. That couldn’t be good.

Mark took off sprinting in the opposite direction, desperately urging his legs to move faster. Anti didn’t bother to hurry, instead taking long strides and catching up to Mark at a leisurely pace.

“Where ‘ya going, Mark?” Anti teased, placing his shoe in front of Mark to block his path. Mark didn’t have time to stop and ended up slamming face-first into the shoe, clutching his nose in pain. Anti laughed, crouching down to grasp the little guy in his fist.

“Let me go!” Mark struggled, punching at his fingers. Anti ignored his pleas, instead walking to the kitchen and every so often giving Mark a painful squeeze to the ribs. Pulling out a mason jar from the cabinet, Anti tossed Mark in and shook it about, watching the little guy get hit against the sides of the glass.

“Gotcha.” Anti grinned. “Not so cute from that side of the glass, is it?” Mark only let out a pained cry, clutching at his shoulder. Anti rolled his eyes. “You’re so weak and pathetic. No wonder you weren’t born a borrower- a wuss like you would have never survived.”

“I’m sorry.” Mark whispered again, looking up at Anti. Anti ignored his apology.

“Do you know what I did to Dr. Iplier?” Anti changed the subject. “I saw him after I gained these powers.” Anti demonstrated by reforming his knife. “After listening to him spiel on and on, I took this knife and chopped him up into little bits. Oh how he screamed for mercy, but I just kept going. And then slowly, the screaming stopped. Isn’t that neat?”

Mark felt like he was going to be sick.

“I hate when people scream.” Anti told him. “I hate when people are loud and annoying. And you-” Anti pointed the knife at the jar. “-are one of the loudest, most annoying human beans I have ever met. Do you realize how many times I had to listen to your awful singing while I was just trying to get some sleep? So, I don’t think I want you to scream for me anymore. I’m going to do something a little more special for you.” Anti picked up the jar, holding it over the tile floor.

“Hey Mark, let’s make this quick.” Anti waved the jar back and forth slowly. “You like physics. So tell me, how far can a human fall without dying?”

Mark looked down through the transparent floor of the jar at the hard tile floors. He gave a nervous gulp, knowing he wouldn’t survive a fall from this high.

“I don’t know either.” Anti giggled. “But i’m pretty sure you’re a little too high off the ground to live, now if I were to just…” Anti let his hand slip a bit on the jar, causing Mark to scream bloody murder.

“I’m sorry!” Mark screamed, pressing himself desperately to the edge of the glass. “I’m sorry, Anti! I didn’t mean to cause you all this trouble. I’m sorry I’m loud and annoying and I swear I’ll move away. The house is yours! Just please, let me live!”

“Stop screaming.” Anti muttered, more to himself than Mark. He let his fingers slide further down the glass, so he just barely had a hold on the edge of the jar.

“OY!” Both Anti and Mark looked up to see Jack with bedhead hair, looking both exhausted and furious. “Let Mark go!”

Anti raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you insist.” Anti laughed, and Jack’s eyes widened at his own mistake. Anti let his grip slip, and suddenly the jar was in freefall. Mark screamed like a girl. Quick as a flash, Jack slid on his stomach and dove to catch the jar. Once it was in his hands, Jack wasted no time in pressing the blue button on his wrist.

“NO!” Anti screeched, trying to grab at them both before they disappeared. It was no use. A flash of light later, and Mark and Jack were gone. “NO NO NO NO NO-!” Anti threw a hissy fit, shrieking as he began to physically tear apart Mark’s kitchen. He began to cut away at the cupboards with his knife and threw the empty jars to the ground until he was standing in a large pile of shattered glass. It was just as he had wanted, but it lacked Mark’s body amidst the shards.

“Augh!” Anti clutched at his skull, feeling the urge to claw his own brain out as an electrical surge fried a few of his circuits. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Large bursts of anger could literally destroy his delicate existence between man and machine. Anti had to remain calm or he would never get his revenge.

“I caught you once, Mark.” Anti said, remembering how it felt to have Mark squirm and struggle uselessly in his grasp. “And I swear on your life, I’ll do it again.”


	7. Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There seems to be a little cameo from "Spaceships and Septic Eyes"... ;)

“Ow.” Jack winced, rubbing at his ribs after sliding against the hard floor. He lifted the jar in his hands up to his face to look at a very ashen-faced Mark. “Mark, are you okay?” Mark let out something sounding like a high-pitched whimper, and Jack winced at how pitiful the poor guy looked.

Jack looked around at the lab room and gasped, seeing what looked to be a bloody pile of human remains.

“That’s new.” Jack tried to chuckle, but his voice cracked. Giving one last look around, Jack opened the door and began to sprint down the hall. He muttered a little apology to Mark who was once again being tossed about, but Jack didn’t slow down. They needed to get out of here NOW.

“Oh, shite.” Jack cursed quietly, coming to a fork in the hall. He didn’t remember which way the exit was- he always was a bit directionally challenged. It only made it worse as Jack heard someone’s loud footsteps back they way he came.

“Jackaboy, where are you hiding?” Anti’s singsong voice echoed through the halls. Jack did a quick game of eenie meenie minie mo and began running down the right hall.

“Who is that guy?” Jack asked out loud, trying to gauge what lay ahead.

“It’s Sean.” Mark groaned, looking a little green from all the running. “Something happened to him in the lab, and now he’s this all-powerful monster that’s calling himself Anti.”

“Sean?” Jack cast a sad look back, feeling sorry for his doppelganger. “Aw, poor guy.”

“Yeah, I think I’d be feeling more sympathetic if he hadn’t shrunk me down and tried to kill me.” Mark said bitterly.

“Come out and play.” Anti’s laugh put the two on edge. Turning to face forwards once more, Jack sprinted down the twists and turns, only to find the hallway ended in a ominous looking door labeled “Sector 7”.

“Wrong way.” Jack turned to go back, only to hear Anti approaching quickly. Thinking fast, Jack pulled open the heavy door and went inside.

“You are now entering sector 7, department of space and time anomalies.” A pre-recorded voice greeted them. Jack glanced around the room for a hiding spot. The room was cluttered with star charts, solar system models, and clocks. Seeing a weird machine that resembled a wardrobe, Jack thought it was perfect. He climbed inside and shut the door.

“What’s the plan?” Mark whispered, looking up at Jack.

“Uh, hide in here until he leaves?” Jack shrugged. Mark’s jaw dropped.

“What?” Mark hissed. “That’s your plan?”

“Well excuse me, I was a bit rushed!” Jack argued. Behind his left shoulder, a blue screen began to glow.

“Wait, what’s that?” Mark asked, pointing to the screen. Jack turned, now noticing it himself.

“‘Please enter a time’.” Jack read aloud. “What’s that mean? Do you have a watch?” The two suddenly froze, hearing the pre-recorded voice go off as the door once again creaked open.

“You are now entering sector 7, department of space and time anomalies.”

“I don’t care.” Anti could be heard talking to the voice as he prowled about the room, searching for the two. Jack and Mark shared a worried look.

“Come on out, Jack.” Anti teased, looking around. “You and I are one in the same. I don’t want to hurt you. Just give me Mark.” Acting fast, Jack punched in random numbers and hoped for the best. The machine began to shake and buzz rapidly, and just outside the door they heard a loud commotion. A moment later, the time machine door was opened by someone on the outside.

“You two?” Dr. Iplier looked surprised to find them there, emergency sirens and red lights going off behind him. “What the devil are you doing here? This is top secret! Is it your goal to destroy all of my experiments?” Jack clutched the jar closer to his chest, protecting Mark.

“Dr. Iplier?” Mark gasped. “But, you’re dead.”

“Thank you for that spoiler.” The doctor sighed. “I know you’re both probably very confused, but congratulations. You’re the first two humans to travel back in time.”

“Time travel?” Jack scoffed. “Sounds pretty fake to me.”

“I’m five inches tall.” Mark gave him a look.

“Alright, fair.” Jack considered that.

“Now gentlemen, I’ll need to do some tests for our research.” The doctor grabbed a clipboard and began hastily looking for a pen. “How did you feel? Is the fluid in your inner ear canals misplaced? What time down to the millisecond was it when you left?”

“But doctor, there’s no time for all that.” Jack spoke up. “We traveled back because we were trying to escape a…monster created in the lab.”

“Sean was mutated into this powerful technological being.” Mark spoke up.

“Sean?” Dr. Iplier looked at them with renewed interest. “The little borrower?”

“He’s not so little anymore.” Jack said quietly.

“He followed us to my dimension, and then back to yours.” Mark explained. “But the weird thing was, he didn’t have the bracelet Jack does.”

“You mean this?” Dr. Iplier raised his wrist to show his bracelet. Mark nodded. “How strange. Now what could possibly…” The doctor’s eyes widened in horror. “The melder. Oh, I’ll have to go destroy it immediately.” The doctor turned to run out the door, but paused. “Jack, the fact that you two are here means I probably fail to destroy the melder. Since that is the case, we must assume Sean has melded with the dimensional hopper. This will create a space-time continuum, seeing as a carbon lifeform is not meant to possess an individual ability to travel between dimensions.”

“But then why do the bracelets not cause a problem?” Jack asked, looking down at his own.

“That would only assist you, not allow you to do the jump yourself.” Mark hypothesized.

“Precisely.” Dr. Iplier nodded. “If you want life as you know it to continue, you’ll need to destroy Anti and your own device by tossing them through the hole in space-time.”

“How do I know what a hole in space-time looks like?” Jack tilted his head in confusion.

“It’s a black hole, you idiot.” Dr. Iplier rolled his eyes. “In Sector 13 you’ll find a rocket ship meant for collecting stellar samples. Take it and fly directly into the black hole, which is likely to form near our planet.”

“But I don’t know how to fly a rocket!” Jack argued. “How the heck am I supposed to do that?”

“Hold out your wrist.” The doctor held out his hand, and Jack begrudgingly placed his wrist with the bracelet on the doctor’s hand. Dr. Iplier messed with a few bits of the gadgets. “There, instead of connecting this universe to universe A, it should now take you to universe C.”

“Huh?” Jack had no idea what was going on.

“It’s going to take us to a third dimension.” Mark explained. “And that’s where we can find a pilot, right?”

“Correct.” Dr. Iplier nodded. “Honestly Jack, Mark’s brain is about the size of a pea right now and yet he’s still the smart one.”

“Hey!” Both guys protested, not sure who should feel more insulted.

“Good luck.” Dr. Iplier gave them a small wave. “The fate of the world now rests on your shoulders. No pressure.” With that, Dr. Iplier sprinted back to his lab to destroy the melder and hopefully alter the timeline so those two idiots wouldn’t be their last hope. 

———————-

“Karen, initiate autopilot.” Captain Mark instructed, pushing back his seat to take a break at the wheel.

“Yes, Captain Mark.” The voice command named Karen installed in his ship replied. Captain Mark sighed, stretching and walking up and down the length of his ship. He had always wanted to go to space, but now that he piloted the final frontier every day he found it to be rather boring.

Captain Mark was startled out of his pacing when a bright light shone down the hall, and suddenly a green-haired humanoid figure was standing in his ship. Well, perhaps Captain Mark had spoken too soon about space being boring.

“Greetings, and who are you?” Captain Mark approached slowly, keeping one hand by his knife in case things got ugly. “How’d you get on my ship? You do realize we’re in the midst of an endless void, right?”

“Uh, hi.” The stranger gave a small wave. “I’m Jack, and this is Mark.” He held up a small jar in his hands, and peering down at it Captain Mark could see a tiny man that resembled himself.

“What in the world?” Captain Mark breathed, crouching to see the cute little guy better.

“I know this seems strange.” Mark said. He shifted uncomfortably, not liking the attention. “But we need your help. I’m you from another dimension, and there’s an evil there that threatens us all. We need you to come back with us and fly a rocket ship.”

“How are you so small?” Captain Mark asked, barely paying attention to his words.

“It’s kind of a really long story that’s not important right now.” Mark answered. “Would you please just come help us? You’re our only hope.” Captain Mark considered it.

“Alright, but only if I can hold you.” Captain Mark requested politely.

“Well, uh…” Mark didn’t like the idea, but he wasn’t about to doom the world because of his comfort level.  “Okay, just please be careful.”

“Hey, I’m basically you.” Captain Mark explained, slowly taking the jar from a nervous Jack and reaching his hand in. “Just trust in yourself and you’ll be fine.” Captain Mark smiled, feeling Mark’s tiny fingers grasping his own. Mark could understand the fascination, having been on that side when he held Sean and later Jack. Because of that, Mark tried his best to swallow his fear.

“Alright, I’m glad you two are bonding, but we really have to go.” Jack explained. “Just grab onto me.”

“Oh yeah, sure thing.” Captain Mark nodded, grabbing Jack’s sleeve. Jack pressed his blue button, and all three of them reappeared in sector 7 of the lab.

“We have to get to sector 13.” Mark explained. “But we’ll need both Jack’s bracelet and Anti on the ship for this to work.”  
“Who’s Anti?” Captain Mark asked.

“He’s my evil other dimensional self.” Jack explained. 

“Oh, of course.”

“Quickly now, this way.” Jack instructed.

“You got us lost last time.” Mark reminded him.

“Yeah, but that was before I knew to look for a number.” Jack argued. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Famous last words.” Mark rolled his eyes. Captain Mark followed Jack, cupping Mark to his chest for safety. The two tried to keep their footsteps quiet, especially because the lack of emergency sirens meant that Anti was chasing them down in Mark’s universe and would be back any minute with the past Jack and tiny Mark. Wow, time travel made Jack’s head spin.

“Found it.” Jack said, finding the door labelled “Sector 13.” Just in time, too. He could faintly hear Anti’s taunts to his past self across the facility.

“Come out and play.” Even far away that voice was creepy. Captain Mark opened the door to the sector 13.

“Welcome to sector 13, space station.” Another pre-recorded voice spoke up.

“Woah.” Mark looked around in awe. The place was huge, and right in the center was a beautiful shining white rocket ship.

“Oh, that’s nice.” Captain Mark nodded, impressed at their ride. “What a beautiful model. Just look at those thrusters. I bet this baby can get seventeen light years to a kilowatt. I wonder what command module she’s got?”

“Why do all versions of you speak science gibberish?” Jack glared at him. “Just get to the pilot’s seat or whatever and get ready to go.”

“What about you?” Mark asked.

“I’ll make sure Anti gets on too just before take-off.” Jack answered, lining himself up with the entrance of the ship. “Without him, this whole thing is pointless.”

“On it.” Captain Mark moved the hand holding Mark up to his left shoulder, giving the little guy a gentle nudge with his finger to indicate it was time to climb off. Mark complied, settling down onto his shoulder and getting a good hold on the captain’s shirt collar so he wouldn’t fall off.

“What’s it like being so small?” Captain Mark asked, climbing up a ladder to the command center.

“It’s very strange.” Mark admitted. “You see everything from a new perspective. But who knows? Maybe you’ll have a chance to be small one day.”

“Yeah, sure.” Captain Mark snorted, not able to picture it. Finding the pilot seat, he sat down and began fiddling with the controls. Once he found the ignition, he turned back to yell down to Jack.

“READY, JACK!” Captain Mark yelled, causing Mark to wince and cover his ears. “Oh, sorry Mark.” A moment later, they heard Jack down below.

“HEY ANTI, OVER HERE!” Jack yelled. “I’M READY TO GIVE UP MARK!” A second later, frantic pounding footsteps began to race down the hall in Jack’s direction. Jack made sure to keep his hands cupped in front of him, pretending to hold Mark.

“You’re a quick one, aren’t ‘cha?” Anti teased, coming closer. “How’d you get here so fast?”

“Come here and Mark’s yours.” Jack said, holding out his hands. “He’s more trouble than he’s worth. He even tried to spit in my eye.”

“I figured.” Anti chuckled. “Those guys are awful from all dimensions. Dr. Iplier was no better.” Anti stepped into the rocket ship, and immediately Jack pressed a button on the wall. The exterior door to the rocket closed. When Anti whirled around to see what happened, Jack pressed a second button and a metal protective sealed door closed, separating Anti and Jack.

“NOW, MARK!” Jack yelled up, running down the hall to join both Marks in the control room. He could hear the engines already starting.

“You tricked me?!” Anti screeched from the other side of the thick metal. A large commotion of screeching and scratching could be heard, and Jack could only pray the door would hold Anti long enough.


	8. Present

“We gotta go.” Jack was out of breath, rushing in to the control center. “I’m not sure how long that door will hold.”

“Alright, buckle up.” Captain Mark advised, and Mark grabbed his shirt collar tighter in fear. The ship was quickly propelled forwards, up and out of Earth’s atmosphere. A strange phenomenon was forming just between the moon and Earth.

“Woah, what the heck is a black hole doing so close to Earth?” Captain Mark frowned.

“That’s Anti’s fault.” Mark explained. “And our target. You’ve got to drive us straight into it.” Captain Mark’s eyebrows shot up into his hair as he turned to try and face Mark.

“I’m sorry, did you just tell me to pilot us into the center of a black hole?” Captain Mark clarified.

“Yes.” Jack nodded.

“Oh good, I’m glad you’re both insane.” Captain Mark shook his head disapprovingly.

“It’s the only way to stop it from growing.” Mark informed him. “If we don’t destroy Jack’s bracelet and Anti in the center of that hole, the rip in space-time will expand until every universe is consumed and destroyed.”

“You two signed me up for a suicide mission?” Captain Mark said quietly.

“I’m sorry.” Jack had the decency to look guilty. “We didn’t have another choice.” There was a long moment of silence.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure knowing you guys.” Captain Mark’s mouth was set in a firm line as he turned the ship to face the black hole.

“Thank you.” Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s all pretend I had something heroic and cool to say.” Captain Mark joked, turning on the external thrusters.

“Of course.” Mark nodded. The black hole grew ever closer. Anti’s screams could be heard from down below, but from the sound of things he hadn’t managed to escape. Yet.

“Does anyone here know what happens in a black hole?” Jack asked, trying to distract from Anti’s screams.

“Nope, no one’s ever come back to tell the tale.” Captain Mark explained. “Although there’s many theories. We could just get ripped limb from limb at a speed faster than light.”

“…oh.” Jack gulped. “Pleasant.”

“Of course, there’s a few other ideas.” Captain Mark continued. “A colleague of mine was studying the possibility of black holes containing a sort of wormhole through time.”

“Like a time machine?” Mark asked.

“Not exactly.” Captain Mark shrugged. “Black holes affect both space AND time. A time machine would move you through time. Your dimensional hopper there-” He pointed to Jack’s wrist. “-clearly moves you through space. But a black hole could transport you to a different dimension and time simultaneously. You wouldn’t know where you would end up, because there’s no way of controlling that amount of raw energy. Of course, that’s only a theory.”

“Yeah.” Mark was quiet a moment. The black hole was right in front of them now. Mark gulped. “Do you guys all want to hold hands or something?”

“Seriously?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, it just felt right.” Mark shrugged. The three looked around at each other’s faces, registering their fear and determination. Jack gently picked up Mark in a comforting gesture, putting the other one on Captain Mark’s shoulder.

“Goodbye, world.” Captain Mark said, pushing forwards on the throttle.

———————

“C’mon, ye stupid door!” Anti screamed, spitting on the door in spots to turn it to black goo and simply clawing at others to try and make a dent. Suddenly Anti was knocked to the floor as the ship jolted forwards, entering the black hole.

“What the hell?” Anti groaned, clutching at his head. The excess energy was causing his brain to feel fuzzy. This fuzzy feeling grew until it felt like his brain was on fire. Anti’s hands began to shake, little bolts of electricity jumping sporadically between his fingers.

It hurt, god it hurt. Anti tried to stand, but his feet refused to work. In vain Anti began to pound his skull against the wall in the hopes that he could wake himself from this nightmare. This only caused some of his own black goo to drip into his eyes, causing a new wave of torture. Anti screeched, attempting to claw out his own eyes as the goo began to dissolve.

Anti felt like he was being tugged apart, as if his arms were being ripped from his sockets. He couldn’t help but remember how he always feared being caught by humans and torn apart when he was still a borrower. He cried, regretting what he had become as his new body began to destroy itself from the inside.

A sudden burst of energy entered Anti’s body, and the human parts of him couldn’t take it. The circuit boards were fried and Anti fell to the side in a lifeless pile, face still displaying the agony of his final moments. With that, Anti was no more.

——————–

“Woah!” Captain Mark yelled, ship being thrown into darkness and confusion the second they were tugged into the black hole. Jack felt the captain slip away from him in the darkness.

“Captain Mark!” Jack yelled when he could no longer feel the shoulder under his hand. Mark began to slip away as well, but Jack clutched him tightly to his chest to protect him. Jack tried to feel around in the darkness, but he couldn’t find the captain. In fact, suddenly it felt like he was floating. A whirling wind whooshed past his ears, making it hard to focus on anything.

“What’s happening?!” Mark yelled, but his tiny voice was lost in the chaos. With a particularly strong gust, Mark was suddenly ripped from Jack’s grip.

“NO!” Jack yelled, but it was too late as Mark disappeared. Jack groaned. Everything was happening so fast. He didn’t know what to do.

Jack suddenly let out an unmanly scream, feeling as if his arm was being ripped from its socket. Looking down, it seemed that the wind was trying to take the whole bracelet arm off.

“Just take the darned thing!” Jack yelled, trying to pull back his arm and let the bracelet be taken. With a few failed attempts, the device finally released its grip on Jack’s wrist and flew off into the darkness. His arm stopped feeling like it was being tugged into the next dimension. Jack gave a triumphant shout before the whirling stopped. The next thing he knew was silence.

—————————-

 _Anti_ … A voice seemed to call to to the lost spirit in the darkness. What had happened? Looking around, he saw a bright white light.

 _Anti…._ No longer in pain, he approached it. The light grew bigger and brighter, until it blocked his entire vision. He winced, holding up a hand to his eyes.

“Hello, Anti.” The old borrower quickly woke up with a pounding headache to hear a familiar voice. He groaned, sitting up to look at Dr. Iplier. The two were in a completely white room.

“Hello, Dr. Iplier.” Sean greeted, giving him a shy wave. “I, uh, don’t think I have the right to call myself Anti anymore.”

“I agree, Sean.” Dr. Iplier nodded. “You know, you’ve caused everyone a lot of trouble.”

“I know.” Sean sighed.

“You also killed me.” Dr. Iplier reminded him. “That was rude.”

“I know.” Sean winced. “Sorry about that.” Sean looked around, taking in the gleaming white walls. “Does that mean I’m dead too?”

“Indeed it does.” The doctor smiled. “So, I suppose we’re even.”

“I didn’t want to kill you.” Sean admitted. “Or Mark. I was just annoyed and fed up with being the little guy, you know?” Sean let out an unconscious shudder. “But then after I melded, I started hearing these voices. And I knew they were wrong, but I wasn’t myself anymore. I couldn’t…I lost control.”

“I don’t think either of us can act innocent.” Dr. Iplier interrupted him. “We both are guilty of pursuing power. We both failed.”

“I was weak.” Sean sighed, tucking his knees to his chest. “I let the voices turn me into a monster.” The doctor looked at him.

“Sean, for what it’s worth, I apologize for putting you through this.” Dr. Iplier said. “Being dead has really caused me to see the error in my ways. I suppose the apology is less sincere when I’m only saying that because you killed me and destroyed my life’s work, but you were a victim of my mad pursuit of science just like Jack.”

“Jack!” Sean looked up at the doctor. “What happened to Jack and Mark?”

“The black hole transported them all to a new life, with no previous knowledge of their adventures.” Dr. Iplier explained. “That forgetting bit was a little gift from myself. One perk of being dead is you get a few supernatural powers. With the dimensional hoppers destroyed, they will be stuck there. I figured it’d be easiest if they didn’t remember their former lives.”

“But where are they now?” Anti frowned, looking at him.

“Well, see for yourself.” Dr. Iplier waved an arm and an image appeared on the far wall. 

—————————–

Mark gasped, bolting upright in the middle of the night. He had just had the strangest dream, about being in a jar and space and other nonsense. For some reason, he felt like he had lost something in the end. He rubbed at his eyes, waking up.

“Just a dream.” Mark muttered, climbing out of his matchbox bed. He remembered this was his bed, but now it felt unfamiliar. The dream had felt so real that it made Mark’s reality seem…wrong.

Mark decided a glass of water would calm his nerves. He shuffled through his passageways down to the leaky pipe in the floors beneath the kitchen. Taking a thimble, he held it underneath the steady drip until his cup was full. Even though Mark could remember doing this a million times, the idea of using a thimble for a cup felt like a bizarre concept. Mark shook his head, sighing. He took a few sips, feeling the liquid cool his dry throat.

Knowing there would be no sleep now, Mark grabbed his borrowing bag and decided to go up above to look for a few items. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, Mark entered the human hallway through an entrance hidden by an electrical outlet. Mark began to walk past the bedroom door, hoping to get a bit of soap while the human was still asleep.

Mark froze, slowly facing the bedroom door. Parts of his dream last night came rushing back to him. He vaguely remembered the human bean was in his dream. For some reason, Mark kind of remembered being a human too. Mark walked a few steps closer, even going so far to press his hand up against the door. Why did it feel like Mark was supposed to be the one peacefully sleeping on the other side of this door?

Mark quickly retracted his hand. This was stupid, he was going to get himself killed. What kind of a borrower was he? Mark ran down the hall, making up for lost time in his quest to get soap.

——————————-

Jack woke up in the morning with a pounding headache. He groaned, stretching his arms above his head.

“I am never drinking that much again.” Jack sighed. Alcohol always gave him the strangest dreams. Now he was waking up convinced that he had met a tiny man the size of his hand. Weird. He couldn’t help but feel oddly huge and clumsy as he got out of bed, even going so far as to check the floor for tiny people before stepping onto the ground.

“Now ‘yer being ridiculous, Jack.” Jack scoffed at himself. “There are no tiny guys living in your house.” _Mark_. The name of the tiny man came rushing back to him.

Jack scratched at the scruff on his chin as he walked down the hall to the bathroom, feeling nature’s call. Jack tried to remember more parts of the dream as he used the toilet, but the details were fuzzy. Something about a doctor? An evil clone of himself? And jars, lots of jars. Jack sighed, finishing up and going to wash his hands. This was all too weird for him to deal with before his morning coffee. He picked up the bar of soap, only to stop and stare at it.

Why was a little chunk carefully carved out of the back?


End file.
